Editor’s note: A shorter version of this appeared in the Detroit Free Press on February 11, 2018. In a nutshell: Michigan’s governance model for its flagship universities and all universities is fairly unique The current model of electing boar...

In a nutshell: Slow growth is the new normal Stronger economy = more sales tax revenue = more money for schools Some fresh cash for road repairs, but at the General Fund’s expense Governor Rick Snyder officially kicked off the state budget process b...

In a nutshell: Federal tax reform expands 529 college savings plans to include private K-12 tuition Michigan’s state constitution prohibits public aid to private schools Michigan families will not receive state tax breaks for saving for private K-12...

Federal tax reform removed Michigan’s personal exemption The Legislature wants to restore and increase the exemption Budget concerns could create problems When President Trump signed the Tax Cut and Jobs Act[1] (TCJA) into law, it triggered a ser...

This guest column was featured in the January 25, 2018 Lansing State Journal Gov. Rick Snyder’s eighth and final State of the State address was very much a swan song, contrasting today’s Michigan to the one he inherited in 2011 – short on new initia...

On January 11th, federal health officials gave the go-ahead for states to experiment with new work requirements in the Medicaid program through Section 1115 demonstrations. This change represents a dramatic shift in federal policy for the 50-year-o...

While enrollment growth in Michigan’s public charter schools has leveled off in recent years, updated estimates for the current school year show that total charter school enrollment in the state will experience its first decline since charters were auth...

Dec. 8, 2017 – The Citizen Research Council’s Research Director, Craig Thiel, teams with Michigan State University Professor Sarah Reckhow in Chalkbeat Detroit to explain how the state’s system for funding special education is flawed and thr...

Dec. 5, 2017 – Six years into the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in Michigan, parts of it have been a resounding success, others disappointments. But members of a panel convened by the Citizens Research Council of...

Economic cycles have unpredictable timing, but their inevitability is anything but. We do not know when it will occur, but we can say with certainty that the economy will eventually take a downturn. And when it does, Michigan’s state budget is not ready...